High school senior denied diploma because family cheered too loudly at graduation

Anthony Cornist and his mother Tracey after his graduation from Mt. Healthy Highschool.

A Cincinnati, Ohio high school senior was denied his diploma, not for failing classes, but because his family cheered too loud at his graduation.

At the graduation ceremony for the Mt.Healthy High School’s class of 2012 in May, the family and friends of Anthony Cornist erupted in applause when his name was called.

When the popular football player went to pick up his diploma, he got a letter from his principal instead informing him that it was being withheld due to “excessive cheering” by his guests.

Anthony’s mother, Tracey Cornist, does not dispute that the family cheered loudly, but she not believe the punishment fits the crime.

“It took away so much from how happy I was. It makes absolutely no sense,” she told Cincinnati radio station WDBZ.

The school’s Superintendent, Lori Handler, said that it was not the volume of the yells, but how long they lasted that was the problem because it brought the ceremony to a halt.

She said that parents had agreed in advance that this type of action would be taken for “disruptive behavior” when they ordered graduation tickets.

According to Handler, this agreement is under a new policy that was implemented this year due to past incidents. The new policy was put in place to make sure that every student’s name is heard when it is called at a graduation ceremony.

Cornist is one of four Mt. Healthy High School seniors who have legally graduated, but must complete 20 hours of community service before they can formally receive their diploma.

This is the second incident where family members of a graduate were accused of “excessive” behavior. Just last week, a mother in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina was arrested for cheering too loudly at her daughter’s high school graduation.